Driving styles of autonomous vehicles in mixed traffic (DS-Auto)

Research Project
, 2019
– 2021

It has been argued that autonomous vehicles could have negative impacts on safety and efficiency in a mixed traffic system with both autonomous and human-driven vehicles (e.g., due to adoption of longer time headway and longer gaps before changing lane for autonomous vehicles). These problems in the widespread introduction of autonomous vehicles could be reduced by adjusting the driving styles employed by autonomous vehicles over time depending on the context. In this project we will develop novel method to enable us simulate different scenarios of mixed traffic systematically, assess the risks of collisions or conflicts in those scenarios, and investigate when and how driving styles of autonomous vehicles should be changed.